


What Was That

by AnneWolfe



Series: Carry On Countdown 2020 AnneWolfe [3]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Crying, First Kiss, Gnomes, M/M, POV Simon Snow, Plotting, Rats, Retelling, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch Is Plotting, Watford Eighth Year, catacombs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:20:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27711923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnneWolfe/pseuds/AnneWolfe
Summary: Baz comes back during eighth year and does something unexpected. Simon believes that Baz is plotting. Also there is strange run in with a little man in the catacombs.
Relationships: Penelope Bunce & Simon Snow, Simon Snow/Agatha Wellbelove, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch & Simon Snow, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: Carry On Countdown 2020 AnneWolfe [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2025661
Kudos: 33
Collections: Carry On Countdown 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Day 3 Carry On Countdown. I was able to spend a lot more time on this one, so it is longer. This is my retelling of eighth year.

I am standing in front of my wardrobe fumbling with my tie. You would think that after all of these years I would be able to properly tie it by now, but I usually just tie it to the best of my ability and then Penny spells it the rest of the way. 

I can’t believe that Agatha broke up with me. Really, she broke up with me. I mean, we  _ were _ having some troubles, but we could have worked through it.

I re-not it for the umpteenth time and finally give up. This is so pointless.

I hear the door to my room open. “Penny. I will be down in a minute.” I say without turning around. Then when Penny doesn't respond I look up in the mirror.

Baz!

Baz is standing in the doorway. He doesn't have one of his usual smirks, he just looks tired. Wow! Baz is such a wreck. There are big circles under his eyes and he’s really pale and thin. Even for his standards.

Baz!

We just stand there for a few minutes holding eye contact in the mirror. Then he walks in and closes the door behind him. He sets his bags down on his bed and walks into the bathroom to change into his uniform.

I turn around and just stare at the bathroom door. Sounds of Baz moving around, starting to take his shower are audible. 

I just stand there. Baz is back. Baz. Is. Back. Whoa. 

Eventually I get my act together and walk out the door. I am going to be late for breakfast. Penny will be wondering what is taking me so long and then she will come up to see what I am doing. I really don’t want her coming up here now that Baz is back. He will turn her into the Mage in a heartbeat.

When I get to the dinning hall I find Penny sitting in her usual spot. 

“Penny! We need to go somewhere more private. I have something to tell you,” I say urgently to her. I don’t know exactly what I am going to tell her, but I will probably figure it out as I go.

“Huh, what?” she questions me, looking up from her scone.

“Well,” I begin to say, just as the doors to the dinning hall fly open. I turn and see Baz standing right there. 

If I had been sitting in a chair I would have toppled it over in my rush to stand. Instead I’m already standing so I just scrutinize him.

He smoothly walks in and goes to assemble himself some breakfast. He has cleaned up and seems to be more his usual self. He notices Agatha standing, staring wide eyed at him and gives her a long cool look. What was that? He’s probably already planning how to swoop in to steal her now that she isn’t mine. But what’s really bothering me, is what I saw earlier. When he first came to our room he seemed like he had given up on all pretenses. I wonder why he let me see that? Maybe it was all a part of his plot to throw me off my guard. I’ll show him.

After finishing gathering up his breakfast he heads to his usual spot and sits down as if he had never been gone.

I lean over to Penny and whisper, “He’s plotting, I just know it. He came up to our room when I was getting ready and he just seemed so strange. He’s up to something and I have to find out what it is!”

“Relax Simon, I bet that Baz was just sick, Ms. Possibelf did say his family knew that he wasn’t in school. I mean, look at him, he doesn't look too good.”

I look at Baz again. He’s busy eating and looking dignified. Though he  _ does _ look as haggard as he did in our room.

Penny yanks on my sleeve and I plop into the chair next to her.

She pushes a plate of toast towards me and simultaneously pours me a cup of tea.

“We’ll deal with this later. Right now,  _ you  _ are going to eat,” she commands, as if you  _ ever _ have to tell me to eat.

Later, in Greek I stand up when Baz comes into the room. It is so fucking wired to see him in class after all these weeks. He doesn’t even look at me. When he sits down he says “Enough, Snow, I’m not the queen.” 

I can’t say anything. My magic is rising to the surface and I feel myself growing angrier by the second.

The Minotaur crosses his arms and makes a noise close to a snort when he sees Baz. 

“Mr. Pitch, I see you’ve decided to join us.”

“I have, sir.”

Baz is so nonchalant. It’s as if he wasn’t missing for eight weeks.

“We’ll have to discuss your plans to catch up,” continues the Minotaur.

“Of course, sir. Though I think you’ll find I’m still quite ahead of the class: my mother always insisted on summer work in Greek and Latin.”

The tosser. Baz is such an arse. He’s been at the top of our class and he just has to rub it in.

The Minotaur narrows his eyes and says. “We shall see.” Then he turns back to the board and starts writing instructions for today’s lesson. I try to pay attention, but I just can’t focus. I stare at Baz all through Greek and I think that my magic is leaking.

Suddenly, Baz gets up from his seat and walks over to me.

“Snow. Come,” he turns around and exits the room quietly. I don’t know what that was. Maybe it’s all a part of his grand scheme. Lure me away from the witnesses of my peers and then ambush me in the halls.

I get up anyway and walk to the door. My magic is making the room hazy and no one really pays attention to my leaving. Even the Minotaur. He just keeps slowly writing on the board.

I close the door behind me and find Baz leaning against the wall.

“What do you want?” I snap.

He gets up and puts his hands on my shoulders, staring intently in my eyes. “Calm down, Snow, deep breaths now. Let it go. Some of it. Before you start another fire. Whatever it is you’re worried about, this won’t help.”

What in the world is he doing? My magic flares up and I start to back up. His hands clamp down on my shoulders holding me in place.

“Snow. Calm down. Breath with me.”

I can’t listen to him. Why is he doing this? Is he trying to help me? My magic is over flowing now and I might very well go off, right now, in the hallway.

Baz grabs me and pulls me into the nearest unoccupied classroom. He focuses on me and seems to be trying to get my breath in control. I can’t breathe. There is no air coming in my lungs.

“Fuck you, Snow,” Baz, mutters under his breath and suddenly his mouth is on mine.

Baz is kissing me! For some reason I don’t push him away. Instead my mouth reacts on it’s own, kissing him back. This is nothing like kissing Agatha.

Agatha! I suddenly feel like I am cheating on her, but then I remember that she broke up with me. Last night!

Baz is pushing on me. His kissing is more frantic than Agatha’s. It feels like he needs me to breath. Like he’s been living on the edge and is trying to hold on to life. He pushes on me so much that I end up against the wall.

Then as swiftly as it started my lips are bare and Baz is backing away from me, cursing. He turns and quickly leaves the room, the door closing with a soft click.

My mouth feels empty without Baz’s chill lips on them. I never knew that someone could crave cold. 

Wait! Why am I thinking about craving Baz? He’s my enemy. He wants to kill me! He’s been plotting my downfall since we first met.

Wait. Did he just do that to throw me off my game? Is this all a part of his big plot? At this realisation I feel a sharp pang of loss.

Why am I feeling a loss at not having Baz kiss me because he wants to?

Eventually I gather my senses and leave the classroom. I should probably go back to Greek. I don’t want to get in trouble.

I open the Greek classroom door and the room is empty. The Mintaour isn’t there either. I guess that everyone went to lunch.

When I reach the dining hall I find that it’s full of students eating. There is no sign of Baz, but Penny is sitting in our usual spot stuffing her face with a sandwich.

As I come over to her, Penny looks up at me.

“Hey, where'd you go? I thought that maybe Baz killed you or something.”

I feel my face burn when she says Baz’s name. She scrutinizes my face and then raises an eyebrow. (Am I the only person who can’t do that?)

“Did something happen?” she says with a suggestive twist to her mouth.

“No,” I stammer.

“Uhhm,” she nods her head knowingly.

“No! It’s not like whatever you're suggesting. He just, kinda attacked me, in a certain way.”

“Oh, are you hurt,” her teasing manor slips away.

“Not really, it’s just. Well, nevermind, I’m fine, but I have no idea where Baz went.”

“Um, he didn’t come back to class either and he never came to lunch.”

I scan the room and don’t find Baz. Dev and Niall are here though. Maybe I should ask them. No, actually I won’t. I don’t want to draw attention to Baz’s strange plot.

“What did I miss in Greek?” I ask, changing the subject.

“Well, we were working on conjugating verbs and we have an assignment to complete on that…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon looks for Baz in the catacombs and has a strange/random incounter.

That night I wonder whether or not I should go back to my room. I have no idea if Baz will be there, I mean it is my room. If he’s plotting he can’t hurt me in our room,but he might, I don’t know. I really don’t know. I guess that I will just go.

When I get to my room I find that Baz is gone. That’s a bit of a relief. Quickly I get ready for bed. Then I lay in bed watching the door, waiting for Baz to come back. Maybe he won’t come back.

Eventually I fall asleep. 

The next morning I wake up and find Baz’s empty bed. The room is exactly as I had left it when I fell asleep. Did Baz even come back last night? 

I throw myself out of bed and toss on some clothes that I grab off the floor. I don’t bother to tie my tie and run out of the room. I slow down as I leave the building. I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention. 

I have to find Baz. I don’t know what I am going to do when I find him, but I _need_ to find him. 

I start my heading to the dining hall. I may as well get some food if I am going to be looking for Baz. Who knows how long it will take to find him. He could be anywhere. 

The dining hall is rather empty. There are a few early birds milling around. Penny is sitting at our usual table. Her eyes go wide when she sees me and she waves frantically. I look down at my clothing choice. I am wearing a large over sighed pair of trackie bottoms, my purple Watford Lacrosse sweatshirt, a random red t-shirt, and a green and purple striped tie draped around my neck. I bet that my hair is a wreck and I didn’t even brush my teeth.

Maybe I shouldn’t have dressed like this if I want to be inconspicuous. 

I ignore Penny and hastily grab a plate of sausages. There are no scones sadly. I must be too early and I can’t wait for them to come out of the oven.

Then I exit the dining hall, Baz wasn’t there and I have to find him. Stop his plotting. Find out where he has been all this time.

I search in classrooms, the grounds, the pitch, the ramparts. Class starts and I go to Baz's first class. He isn't there. I skip mine. 

I only have woods and the catacombs left to search. Baz usually hunts in the catacombs. I will probably start there. 

I make my way to the White Chapel. 

Inside the entrance, it is cold, and dark, and musty. I pull out my wand and cast, " **Light em up** "

Immediately a glowing orb appears in my hand. I start down the corridor. I walk for what seems like hours, all the while casting finding spells. They never go anywhere, though.

Eventually, I look around me and realize that I have no idea where I am and that I didn’t bring any string with me. I turn around and try to retrace my steps, but the tunnels down here all look the same to me.

As I try to make it out of the tunnels I just get more and more lost. Suddenly I stop and call my sword to me. I growl and attack the walls to take off the edge of my anger. 

That’s when I see it. A light down at the end of the tunnel I am currently standing in.

Maybe someone’s down here. Baz! It must be him, who else would be down here?

I run to the light and come around the corner to find a short little man walking with a torch and a bag slung over his shoulder. He is so short that he doesn't even come up past my knee. I notice that he is humming a little tune and I freeze. I have no idea what he is. Maybe some kind of gnome. 

“Hey,” I call to him.

He jumps and turns around. His legs are really short and he’s wearing a dull brown shirt that stretches over his large pot belly. He has a thick bushy white bread that takes up half his little chest. A wooden pipe hangs out the corner of his mouth and a thin curl of pink smoke rises from its bowl.

“Oh, another mageling. Come to cry your eyes out and eat all the rats,” his voice is rough and gravely. As if it isn’t used that much. The pipe bounces as he moves his mouth.

“What do you mean, _another mageling_. Do you mean that you have seen this guy? Tall, black hair, posh accent. You say he eats rats, like a vampire?”

The gnome leans against the wall and points his torch at me.

“Now, young mister, I mean what I say and I say what I mean.”

Huh? What’s up with this guy?

“You are a young bird, waiting to fly far from the water and see the bright clouds,” he continues, doing a little twirl.

“Um, I’m looking for my romate, Baz.”

“Oh, that one,” he stops spinning and looks at me, “Do you know of him? The one with the toes. Yeah I know of him. His toes are very long," he jabs at me with his torch to emphasize what he is saying. 

I have no idea what this guy is going on about. I think I need to end this and either find Baz or try and get out. 

"Well, thank you sir, but I really need to go," I say, interrupting him as he goes on about the shape of feet. He pauses then shrugs and says, 

"Fine, it's all fine. I knew you would grow up someday," with that he turns around and continues down the corridor humming that little tune from before.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon finally finds Baz and is surprised by what he finds.

I stand there not quite sure what to do next. Do I keep searching for Baz? Do I try to get out? What’s next?

I guess that I will keep looking for Baz. That way at least I will be getting something done.

After searching for what feels like an hour my stomach starts to growl. I think that it is just past dinner and I don’t have any food. Gahh! I really need to get out of here soon.

That’s when I hear it. A low murmuring. I follow the sound down the tunnel. As I get closer I realize that it’s someone crying.

Then I see them. A figure sitting hunched on the ground. They don’t have any light with them and as I approach them, they look up at me. Baz!

His eyes are red and swollen from crying. I have never seen Baz like this. I could never even imagine seeing Baz like this. Like he is broken.

“What’d do you want?” he snaps, “Come to finish me? Come to rid the world of me, Snow? Is that what you want? Is that what you came to do? If that’s what you want you can have it. You can bloody well have anything you want.”

I don’t know what to say, Baz just doesn’t seem like Baz. He just seems dead. 

Suddenly I don’t know what comes over me, but I _know_ I don’t want Baz dead. I just found him and I can’t lose him again.

“No,” I growl, “That’s not what I want. You need to get out of here and I am going to help you.” I move next to him. Then I slide an arm around his waist and pull his arm over my shoulders. As I do this I feel how thin he is, then I heave him up. Baz is so light! It’s as if he hasn’t been eating for the past weeks. 

“What are you doing, Snow?”

“I’m helping you, you can’t just die alone in this dank tunnel.”

“I am not alone, there are the rats and graves.”

“That doesn’t count,” I snap back.

“Snow,” Baz shoves me off of him and pushes away from me, “what are you doing? I thought you would be happy if I died.”

“Well, no. I wouldn’t. These past weeks have been complete torture. I have spent every minute I had looking for you, and now that I finally found you, I am _not_ going to lose you again.”

Baz is completely frozen. I don’t think he was expecting me to say that. Then when he goes to open his mouth to argue with me. I do something I never thought that I would _ever_ do. I walk up to him, push him up against the wall, and kiss him.

I hear him suck in a deep breath and kiss me back, hard. It makes me wonder how long he’s wanted this. At least it seems like he wants this. I push on him. Challenging him to push me away. I do this to prove a point.

Eventually I pull away, maybe I should get him to lead me out of here. I am _starving_.

“Baz, I’m hungry. Can you get us out of here?”

He looks at me with wide eyes, “I didn't know you wanted that.”

“Well, I didn’t either. Can you take us out of here? I think that we missed dinner.”

“Wait, you don’t know if you want to kiss me or not?”

“Oh, I definitely want to kiss you, I just didn’t realize until I tried. Now can we please go find some food?” my stomach growls for emphasis.

Baz laughs and leans down, kissing my cheek. “Come on you numpty, let’s get you some food.”

As he leads us out of the maze of the catacombs, I suddenly remember that weird little gnome/dwarf.

“Hey, Baz. Have you ever met a little man, who seems to talk in kinda riddles?”

“Huh, no. I have never seen another person down here except for you and the rats. What about it?

“Oh, well, nevermind. Let’s just go find some dinner.”


End file.
